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Successful bone marrow transplantation is an important therapeutic option for both blood and solid organ cancers. Increasing the number of stem cells prior to transplantation increases the likelihood of successful transplantation. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 (IGFBP-2) is a potent stimulus for proliferation of mouse and human stem cells. We have made a 13 amino acid peptide of the heparin binding domain unique to IGFBP-2 and will investigate the ability of this peptide to expand the number of stem cells in cell culture and to test the functionality of these cells in mouse models of human bone marrow transplantation. Our ultimate goal is to use this peptide therapeutically for improvement of bone marrow transplant outcomes and to better understand the regulatory cell signaling mechanisms operational in the bone marrow stem cell niche.